Circumstances
by mentalguru
Summary: Their relationship was not the most conventional nor most predictable…” Amber meets blue. My Avatar OTP. One shot.


**Title:** Circumstances.

**Rating:** T

**Timeline:** Sort of AU, Aang doesn't beat the Firelord. Set a few years after Book 3. One shot Drabble. All the rest of the cast apart from the two in this story (bar Lord Ozai and Azula, though they are not in this) are dead.

**Summary:** "Their relationship was not the most conventional nor most predictable…" Amber meets blue. My Avatar OTP.

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Their relationship was not the most conventional, nor most predictable of pairings.

One was a member of the Fire Nation's Royal Family, the other a native of a small village in the water tribe. In any other circumstance such a pair would never even _meet _let alone find themselves in such a situation as they found themselves now. Tolerance would have been considered quite a stretch of the imagination, friendship practically impossible, and yet they had found an even stronger emotion to grant towards each other.

At first they had not trusted each other. They had their reasons certainly. Trust was not an item willingly handed over to anyone. It is like a precious family heirloom, only provided and allowed to be taken care of to people you felt sure would not break it. They travelled together grudgingly, only doing so for they knew they needed each other to survive. Both were skilled fighters, he also being a good hunter, and she had her skills in healing and cookery. Also both knew full well that a woman such as herself, particularly one of her beauty would not be wise to travel alone. Even men travelling alone could be under great danger from such predatory and lecherous tactics; another set of eyes, even from those they did not fully trust would be of great help in the days of survival that lay ahead.

As much as he mistrusted her, he could not leave her alone in such a place, despite her protests. They were the only ones left, they had to survive.

Respect slowly grew from his end when her healing skills saved his life. Knowing the location of special herbs and other substances, after an unfortunate event involving a platypus bear, she had healed him as best she could. He had marvelled silently at her skill in such areas and soon realised that she had no real reason to harm him.

It did not take long for this respect to gradually grow into trust over the coming months. Although she did not appear to return such sentiments, he still continued to trust and respect her.

The next stage had crept up upon him rather unexpectedly. He had not noticed it at first but it happened, something he hadn't been counting on. He had fallen for her, something he did not immediately realise at first. Taking into account her intellect, her kindness and her beauty, perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that he would find her attractive, but this ran deeper than just bare faced lust.

He had fallen in love with her. Of all the things he had been prepared for, this had not been one of them. What was worse, was that she did not seem to return such feelings, seemingly evident in the suspicious glances she would still give him, trust not being fully earned from her end.

He had been horrified on that ill-fated day, when he finally realised his feelings, feelings which had been there for several months on their two years on the run yet he had not recognised. He had been in love before; how was it possible for him to realise such love again? He felt like a betrayer, though his old relationship was now gone, like dust. His old love was dead, however she had died in battle while they had still loved one another. He felt disgusted with himself; the lowly traitor, he berated in his mind as he cursed himself for lingering his gaze far to long upon her.

But by spirits he still loved her, despite his horror at such a fact.

But his old love would have wanted him to be happy, he realised eventually. She would not want him to pine the rest of his days away. This had been a difficult block to overcome, the guilt, but he had finally been able to acknowledge his feelings without such disgust or shame.

It was all far too great a humiliation and already painful enough that she did not seem to return his intentions, nor did she, as perceptive as she was, seem to realise what he thought. She continued to torture him. She was always _there_ right in front of him and he couldn't have her.

He was not the only one to notice her on their travels either. Yet other men occasionally joined them, if only for a little while, almost all would make clear their intentions. All seemed willing to court her despite their fugitive status.

They always drew generic and tired comments on her beauty, (and little else he could not help but bitterly notice). She accepted their compliments politely, while he would continue to seethe, biting back the urge to rip them apart. Such rage scared him; he had felt anger before certainly, but not anger on this sort of level. Still he managed to control himself from drawing his sword. They eventually left, their courting coming to naught, something he would always heave a sigh of relief over everytime.

Still, his anger continued to bubble just below the surface, only coming to a head by the acts of a particularly roguish young earth bender one day.

It had seemed like any other pursuer. His comments were ones he had heard many times over the past year, since he had realised his (albeit, seemingly unrequited) love. Yet there was something which made him particularly dislike this one. Perhaps it was the sideways glances, the looks of contempt to he himself, but this time he decided to watch extra carefully, despite how much it tormented him to watch.

Then the earth bender had done the unspeakable.

He had kissed her hand!

Even she had looked surprised at such an act and drew her hand graciously away, though he had seemed determined not to let go. Quickly her travelling companion had stepped between the pair, his grip tightening around is neck as he snarled a threat to such a degree that the bender had been left deeply shaken, deciding to leave the pair as soon as he could. He was a coward, one not fit for confrontation.

Such a turn of events had shocked her, and she had berated him, asking why he had done such a thing. To which he had simply replied:

"And why do _you_ think I did such a thing? Do you ever notice anything? Shouldn't it be obvious?"

A flush had appeared on his cheeks as he stared down at her. Amber locked with blue. One set widened in realisation, their own cheeks seeming to also darken.

She had asked him how long. He had finally looked away asking why it mattered when she did not feel that way. He apologised quietly and made to turn away from her sight, ashamed.

Her arms which suddenly appeared around his neck prevented him from doing so. Amber and blue locked again as they gazed at one another.

She couldn't, could she? But it appeared she did. Something he had not dreamed of occurring happened. Something he had not dared to believe.

She kissed him, which he returned with hunger, as he pulled her closer to himself, the space between their bodies no longer present as he held the back of her head, his fingers running through her brown hair as months of cumulative tensions were beginning to be released. Fire and water together, it was an impossible state of events, but it had occurred.

When they finally parted, near breathless, she could only say his name:

"_Ha-Hakoda_" she had stuttered and sighed as she flushed, looking up.

"Ursa." He had replied stroking her left cheek with his thumb as he cupped her face.

Both smiled.

--

**A/N**: Who thought it was Zutara?

Pfft. Overrated ship in my opinion. So is Kataang, even though I like both. People keep on saying Zutara is the hottest ship around. Keep telling yourself that . Hakoda and Ursa are way hotter in my opinion.

R and R?


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